Resident Evil 3 Review (PS4)
RE3 on the original Playstation was loved by many fans back in 1999 when it was released. I of course played it and loved it and still revere it as a title that is great and a reminder of a time when Capcom was on top and dropping awesome RE games yearly. It never did receive the same amount of praise that RE2 did. Has anything changed? Well, on one side, we have a remade version here that GREATLY improves upon the original. On the other, it still manages to fall considerably behind its predecessors success. I will now go into more detail about what Capcom got right and wrong with this excellent 3rd RE game.
First off, I wanna clarify one thing. For those out there who are skeptical about purchasing this due to negative reviews or naysayers, don't be misled. This is still excellent survival horror RE at its best. It is being wrongly compared to RE2 as far as scale and replayable aspects. First off, you cannot compare the 2 because RE2 is ALWAYS gonna be bigger & better than RE3. RE2 had TWO protagonists, and different modes to play through with both characters. RE3 has always been about one character in particular. Jill Valentine and her struggle to rid herself of her stalker, the Nemesis, and escape the city alive. So, to say this game sucks or is not anywhere near as long as RE2 was is unfair for this game. Capcom has succeeded at remaking RE3 as it was on PS1, and people who played RE3 on PS1 will know that. This remade game is much bigger, better looking and fun due to the capabilities nowadays. So don't be fooled by any harsh critics. Capcom still nailed it if you ask me!
Ok, with that out of the way, the story is this: You are Jill Valentine. An ex-STARS member who is currently stationed in Raccoon City and is secretly investigating the activities of Umbrella Corps, the company who she has found out was responsible for the Mansion Incident in the Arklay Mountains. She has no idea that Umbrella is also watching her every move and has taken contingencies to remove her from the equation. Unbeknownst to her, they have secretly been working on a new bioweapon and a massive killing machine, the Nemesis project. The game starts with Jill in her apartment when it is attacked by this Nemesis, who comes after her as she manages to escape to ground level. Jill soon meets members of UBCS, and one in particular not only aids her greatly but is also the other playable character in this remade version, Carlos Oliviera. Between the two of them, you must make your way through the apocalyptic streets of Raccoon City and avoid getting eaten by zombies and this Nemesis creature, and make it to a place of safety somewhere outside of the city limits. Their journey will be long and hard, but one well worth playing through for yourself.
The locations Capcom has crafted this time around are all very detailed and give you a great read of what it was like before the virus outbreak and also the damage that was done by the sudden spread of the T-Virus. Many stores are scattered here and there and they are great for making you soak in the atmosphere Jill finds herself in. The areas are bigger and much more dangerous this time around, as each has its fair share of danger to look out for. The game has several *sections* if you will, and exploration of each is both crucial and very enjoyable to take part in. Whether you find yourself being chased down into the sewers by Nemesis, or in a dreadfully dangerous hospital in search of a scientist, RE3 Remake has something for you. There are many new files around for players to find, and these not only are fun to collect and read, but they really do an excellent job on filling you in on what is going on behind the scenes of Raccoon City. Powered by the phenomenal RE engine, the game boasts some amazing sights to see. Shooting zombies with a critical well aimed shot and seeing and hearing their head explode in a *SPLEESH* is still as great as it was in RE2!! You will find many who have bit the dust for good as you advance, and that leads me to another great thing about this rehashed version.
The games cast has been given a MUCH larger emphasis & focus than before, and new scenes play out as you continue on in the game. Carlos goes from being a dude who saves you to a very valuable ally who makes the game MUCH better with. Giving him and several others more time to shine has done numbers for the game and lore in general, and fill you in on what is really going on much better than the PS1 did. Carlos is easily my favorite character from the game, and others that also were improved upon include Mikhail Victor, Carlos' boss, Nikolai, a UBCS agent whose motives remain unclear, & Tyrell, also a UBCS agent who was not even in the previous game at least not to my knowledge. All these guys are shown in many scenes that make up the game and I love the fact that Capcom decided against introducing any more members for surviving the encounters Jill is faced with. Another good example of how this factor has boosted this games experience is the focus on Marvin Branagh. You remember him right? The lieutenant cop who is Leon's boss from the RPD, who ends up saving Leon & Claire during their initial exploration of the RPD from RE2. Anyways, they show in beautiful detail, what exactly happened to Marvin and how he was injured and this was a small thing that I found to be very admirable for Capcom to even bother to throw in. Moments later, Carlos is thrust upon players control as he explores the RPD. This return to the location from RE2 is also great as you can see the changes in the RPD in comparison to Leon & Claires time there. The events during this game are very close to the same timeline as RE2's, so this was a great thing to show players and fill in any gaps in our imaginations about how things played out the way they did in both games. Awesome stuff!
Now, onto the 2 things I found to be less than awesome about this remade RE3. One being the fact that the game could have benefitted by being a TAD bit longer. While her mission from the original was never very long to begin with, the exclusion of RE Resistance (which to me was a waste of time and money) and more focus and time spent on extending Jill's survival of these events would have been great. The game will not take you long to beat. Although, at the same time, there are plenty of reasons and rewards to be had by replaying the game and achieving high rankings for clearing the game. Still, the game shoulda been a bit longer. And the 2nd complaint I have. Nemesis. Capcom made a statement about how they wanted to not only make Nemesis as scary as Mr. X was from RE2, but really develop & update this character in RE3. Well, if thats what Capcom was truly after, they failed horribly. Nemesis is nowhere near as scary and threatening as Mr. X and I don't believe he is anywhere as much of a problem as he was in the original. His boss fights aren't all that tough to figure out and clear, and he isn't given the same amount of love and time to shine as some of the characters I mentioned before were. Sure, he still looks and acts the same as before, and he has the same styles of attacks, both weaponry & melee, but he is not as much of a menace as I was expecting him to be. For what it's worth, these 2 complaints aren't all that significant. Did Capcom make RE3 better than before? Absolutely. Will returning players who love Resident Evil like this remake? Sure, if not, I don't consider them to be true RE fans cuz Capcom did alot of the same updates to this title as they did with RE2. I loved it and am still playing it unlocking the games achievables, so enjoy the survival horror classic that was a love of mine in 1999 & now again here in 2020!!!